The 48-year-old West Bend man who threatened to sue Charter Communications because of what he called his cable TV addiction says hes not upset with the cable company for making him addicted to cable TV but rather, hes angry because he says the cable company forced it upon him after he discontinued his service.

Freedom of choice is my No. 1 issue, and they didnt give that to me, Tim Dumouchel said. Its all about them depriving you of choice.

He said he does not plan to go through with the lawsuit that he had threatened earlier.

Dumouchel made local and national headlines this week when he blamed Charter Communications, headquartered in Fond du Lac, for his so-called addictions to cable TV as well as to cigarettes and alcohol.

He also said Charter was responsible for making his wife gain weight and for his children to be channel surfers, according to a Fond du Lac police report.

Dumouchel (pronounced do-Michelle) smoked cigarettes and responded cryptically at times to reporters questions during a press conference in the basement of his home Thursday afternoon.

I have the choice not to smoke these (cigarettes), yet I have to go to the store and buy them. I have to make a conscious decision, he said.

Reporters asked why he didnt just turn off the TV, cut the cord on his TV or disconnect the cable box himself. He said he was powerless over the button on the remote control and asked reporters how many of them could keep the TV off for 30 days. He said he didnt want to break any laws by tampering with the cable box himself.

He said many television shows include cigarette and alcohol use and he found that temptation too overwhelming. He said the impetus to cut the cable service came when he broke off a wooden railing on his basement stairs when trying to climb up the railing while drunk.

At the press conference, Dumouchel pointed out that the original news report by The Reporter was 99 percent correct except for one detail.

I never said my kids were lazy, he said.

However, the Fond du Lac police report included that description.

He said his wife is angry at him for his comment about her weight.

He called the cable company to cancel his expanded cable service in August of 1999, but the service kept coming into his home for more than four more years, he said.

He also blames Charter for causing him to smoke and drink after several years of abstinence from both substances.

The police report was generated after Charter employees called police Dec. 23 to the Fond du Lac office, 165 Knights Way, after Dumouchel showed up there and allegedly intimidated employees. He also made low-level threats, according to the police report and Charter spokesman John Miller when he said that if a supervisor didnt talk to him within five minutes, their next step would be swimming in the ocean with the sharks.

Dumouchel says he meant the media when he used the word sharks

Dumouchel said he decided to stop cable service four years ago in an effort to talk to his family. Dumouchel has three children, ages 16, 22 and 30. He said he watches television all the time when hes not at work and that he gives it his full attention.

After his cable service was finally disconnected in December, Dumouchel said he bought a $40 antenna so he and his wife could watch the Packers.

LOL
this is just another example of people not taking responsability for their actions!
If this is the case, im launch a suit against the civilian population for making me gain 25 pounds after i got out of the military.

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